| Abstract Title: | The power of modern on site spectrometry: Application specific hardware and software solutions |
| Presenter Name: | Dr Joep van den Broeke |
| Company/Organisation: | Eijkelkamp Soil & Water |
| Country: | Netherlands |
Abstract Information :
There is an increasing demand for online sensors to monitor water quality continuously and in realtime.
Whether for process automation and control, compliance monitoring or early warning purposes,
real-time information helps ensure good water quality and reduce operational costs.
In order to effectively operate online water quality sensors, these instruments require the necessary
attention in the form of maintenance and calibration. One particular type of instruments that has seen
increased use are optical sensors, in particular spectrometer devices such as UV/Vis and NIR absorption
spectrometer devices and multi-wavelength fluorescence devices. Being purely optical and fully solid
state these instruments are cost effective in use. The key to successful application is keeping the optics
clean and developing the right data processing models.
Spectrometer devices have traditionally been deployed with generic calibration models, developed
using information from multiple sites with different characteristics. In general, this method yields
satisfactory results. However, when faced with variations in water composition such as in wastewater
with fluctuating industrial components, the results are often unsatisfactory. Developing an application
specific calibration model, or even multiple models to suit the different conditions, can provide the
solution. Furthermore, especially industrial wastewater, may present a challenge when it comes to
keeping the optics of a spectrometer clean enough to measure. A customer specific solution can be
required to keep manual maintenance at acceptable levels.
This contribution will describe the approach followed by a particular range of spectrometer solutions
to arrive at the optimal answer to challenging applications. The process for selecting the best
calibration strategy, critical points in the calibration development, and a solution where the instrument
automatically selects the most appropriate calibration using spectral shape recognition will be
described. Furthermore, the development of a flexible cleaning setup, which combines mechanical
cleaning, with high temperature washing and optional chemical cleaning will be described. This setup
has been validated in the challenging environment of raw slaughterhouse wastewater.
